My first WorldCon is just around the corner! Below is my schedule, and I’d like to give kudos to Mary Robinette Kowal and the rest of the WC team for all of their hard work with the programming overhaul. I’m really excited to be on board on a wide range of panels. Agents & authors can reach out if you are interested in booking a meeting in my off-time.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 17

10 – 11 AM
Young Adult: Looking at the World Through a Skewed Lens (210E)
One of the key advantages that SFF has is allowing us to tip the real world to the side to expose the interconnective tissue. This is often a powerful lens for Young Adult authors. It allows them to obscure issues with fantastic set dressing. Our panelists look at what that skewed lens offers, be it fantasy, science fiction, steampunk or other genres. How does it affect the stories they can tell and the audiences they can attract? What are some of the best ways to leverage the skewed lens of SFF for a Young Adult audience?
Panelists: Diana M. Pho (M), Tina Connolly, Scott Sigler, Gail Carriger, Fonda Lee

5 – 6 PM
Kaffeeklatsch: Diana M. Pho
211B1 (San Jose Convention Center)
Pick my brain! Learn about books & other things!
For all kaffeeklatsches, you have to sign up the day of at the sign-up booth in the exhibit hall to reserve a spot.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 18

10 AM – 12 PM
Wild Cards Signing (San Jose Convention Center Autograph Area)
George R. R. Martin | Kevin Andrew Murphy | Melinda M. Snodgrass | Mary Anne Mohanraj | Marko Kloos | Caroline Spector | Walter Jon Williams | Saladin Ahmed
The long awaited reprint of Wild Cards VIII: One Eyed Jacks is now pubbed! You have an opportunity to get a copy while at Worldcon and to get autographs from many of the authors. This is a special group signing. Copies of the trade paperback will be available from Borderlands Books, in the Dealer’s area. The authors will ONLY be signing Wild Cards books.

(I’ll be chilling there for the first half-hour)

11 AM – 12 PM
We Have Always Played Games: Women at the Gaming Table (210C)
The Fake Geek Girl is a harmful stereotype which has been used to make women feel unwelcome at the gaming table. This panel will tear apart that stereotype, and talk about all the ways in which women have contributed to the gaming world.
Panelists: Donna Prior (M), Marie Brennan, Diana M. Pho, Veronica Belmont, Erika Ensign

12 PM – 1 PM
Defining Steampunk (210F)
Is it artistically transformed carefully constructed Victorian clothing? Is it cunningly modified thrift store finds? Is it a fusion of Victorian elegance, pure fantasy, and steam-powered science-fictional engineering? Or is it any old thing that you just slapped a few gears on?
Panelists: Elektra Hammond (M), Anastasia Hunter, William C. Tracy, Diana M. Pho, Jaymee Goh PhD

]]>https://beyondvictoriana.com/2018/08/12/my-worldcon-76-schedule/feed/0beyondvictorianaHath No Fury – Now up for Pre-Orderhttps://beyondvictoriana.com/2018/05/01/hath-no-fury-now-up-for-pre-order/
https://beyondvictoriana.com/2018/05/01/hath-no-fury-now-up-for-pre-order/#respondTue, 01 May 2018 12:00:26 +0000http://beyondvictoriana.com/?p=7617Continue reading →]]>

Back in 2016, editor Melanie Meadors reached out about my interest in being involved in an anthology she had in the works focusing on stories that defy female stereotypes. I gladly signed on, and later that year in the weeks after the election, I turned in my contribution: a pistol shot of an essay titled “Anger is a Friend to Love.” I’m pleased to know that later in 2018 this essay will be released to the world as part of this amazing collection of fiction and non-fiction.

Book description
Mother. Warrior. Caregiver. Wife. Lover. Survivor. Trickster. Heroine. Leader. Hath No Fury contains approximately 20 meaningful stories that defy the stereotypes. In this anthology, readers should expect to find super-smart, purpose-driven, ultra-confident heroines. Here, it’s not the hero who does all the action while the heroine smiles and bats her eyelashes; Hath No Fury’s women are champions, not princesses in distress. Embracing the strong warriors to the silent but powerful, to even the timid who muster up the bravery to face down a terrible evil, the women of Hath No Fury will make their indelible marks and leave you breathless for more.

After the jump, read more about these books, (listed in publication order) and, perhaps, check these out at the bookseller of your choice.

Crossroads of Canopy is the highly-anticipated fantasy debut from Aurealis and Ditmar Award-winning author Thoraiya Dyer, set in a giant mythical rainforest controlled by living gods. Now in trade paperback.

Her hopes rest on becoming the next bodyguard to Audblayin, the rain forest’s divine ruler of growth and fertility. But to earn that title, Unar must embark on a dangerous quest into the shadowy depths beneath the treetops. Down below, she must confront enemy tribesmen, battle notoriously giant monsters, and master frightening new magic.

Most importantly, Unar must forget all the truths she had sworn her life to uphold… and be willing to risk destroying the very home she loves to seize her destiny.

A double-agent sacrifices all his ideals in order to save his smuggler lover before a government couptakes over their decadent city in Lara Elena Donnelly’s glam spy thriller debut Amberlough.Also in trade paperback!

“Exploring the roots of hatred, nationalism, and fascism, while at the same time celebrating the diversity, love, romance, fashion, and joy the world is capable of producing.” —Bookriot

In Amberlough, amidst rising political tensions, three lives become intertwined with the fate of the city itself.

The Smuggler: By day, Aristide Makricosta is the emcee for Amberlough City’s top nightclub. By night, he moves drugs and refugees under the noses of crooked cops.

The Spy: Covert agent Cyril DePaul thinks he’s good at keeping secrets, but after a disastrous mission abroad, he makes a dangerous choice to protect himself…and hopefully Aristide too.

The Dancer: Streetwise Cordelia Lehane, burlesque performer at the Bumble Bee Cabaret and Aristide’s runner, could be the key to Cyril’s plans—if she can be trusted.

As the twinkling marquees lights yield to the rising flames of a fascist revolution, these three will struggle to survive using whatever means — and people — necessary. Including each other.

“James Bond by way of Oscar Wilde.” —Holly Black

“Sparkling with slang, full of riotous characters, and dripping with intrigue, Amberlough is a dazzling romp through a tumultuous, ravishing world.” —Robert Jackson Bennett, winner of the Shirley Jackson Award and the Edgar Award

In Cloud County, where music and Tufa, the otherworldly fae community, intermix, a monster roams the forest, while another kind of evil lurks in the hearts of men in Alex Bledsoe’s Gather Her Round

“Beautifully written, surprisingly moving, and unexpected in the best of ways.” —Seanan McGuire, New York Timesbestselling author

Young Tufa woman Kera Rogers disappears while hiking in the woods by Needsville. Soon, her half-eaten remains are found, and hunters discover the culprits: a horde of wild hogs led by a massive boar with seemingly supernatural strength.

Kera’s boyfriend Duncan Gowen mourns her death, until he finds evidence she cheated on him with his best friend Adam Procure. When Adam’s body is the next one found, who is to blame: Duncan or the monstrous swine?

As winter descends and determined hunters pursue beasts across the Appalachians, other Tufa seek the truth behind Adam and Kera’s deaths. What answers will unfold come spring?

Patterns emerge in the most unexpected places as a scientist studies the flora and fauna of a new world in Bobby Sun’s “The Awakening of Insects.”

Jingru smelled the storm long before it came.

The dusty, moist scent wafted in on the morning breeze as she tended the flowers on her porch. It tickled her nose. Her assistant-intelligence, Aimee, chirped a precipitation warning through her jawpiece.

“Attention! A significant pressure system has been detected by Central Station. There is a 64 percent chance of a sub-category storm in Reserve-133 in the next 12 hours. Estimated wind speed is 57 kilometres per hour. Please stow all lightning- and wind-sensitive equipment in an appropriate location, Dr Lee.”

“Yes, Aimee. Thank you. I’ll get the collectors.”

She put the watering can away; there would be no need for watering today. With a deliberate ease, she glided across the faux-wood boards of her front porch and slipped into her shed. The shed, somewhere between smithy and laboratory, was neat and almost well-mannered; her unstudied specimens, packed in cryojars for preservation, were neatly shelved and categorised. A long workbench was arrayed with glassware and cutters, while various items of powered lab equipment and assistant drones lay dormant along the walls. A door at the back led to a large storage room, where the specimens she’d finished studying went. Her field armour was in the corner, plugged into its charging station: a silvered, helmeted suit equipped with an exoskeleton for speed and laced with shear-thickening ferrofluid to protect from unexpected impact. Manoeuvring cables, tightly wound and connected to a body harness, rested on either side of her hips, and a pair of flechette guns were woven into its wrists. She unfastened her clothes from her body, stepped into her armour, and checked its equipment one more time before stepping out. She had work to do.

Robyn Bennis’s The Guns Aboveis an adventurous military fantasy debut about a nation’s first female airship captain.They say it’s not the fall that kills you.
For Josette Dupre, the Corps’ first female airship captain, it might just be a bullet in the back.

On top of patrolling the front lines, she must also contend with a crew who doubts her expertise, a new airship that is an untested deathtrap, and the foppish aristocrat Lord Bernat, a gambler and shameless flirt with the military know-how of a thimble. Bernat’s own secret assignment is to catalog her every moment of weakness and indecision.

So when the enemy makes an unprecedented move that could turn the tide of the war, can Josette deal with Bernat, rally her crew, and survive long enough to prove herself?

New York Times bestselling author A. J. Hartley returns to his intriguing, 19th-century South African-inspired fantasy world in Firebrand, another adrenaline-pounding adventure.
Once a steeplejack, Anglet Sutonga now assists Josiah Willinghouse behind the scenes of Parliament. When government plans for a secret weapon are stolen, their investigation leads to the doorstep of Bar-Selehm’s super-exclusive social club. Ang has a chance to catch the thief, but only if she can pass for a foreign princess. Her best chance to learn the ways of royalty lies in the regal and brash women of the Willinghouse family — even if their lessons also involve tamed hyenas alongside dinner etiquette.

Yet Ang has other things on her mind. Refugees from the north are trickling into the city, but an ambitious politician is proposing extreme measures to get rid of them. She soon discovers that one theft could spark a conflagration of conspiracy which threatens the city’s most vulnerable people. Unless she can stop it.

“Richly-drawn with a diverse cast of characters and an unstoppable plot!” – Carrie Ryan, New York Times bestselling author, on Steeplejack

The Lamb Will Slaughter the Lion by Margaret Killjoy pits utopian anarchists against rogue demon deer in this dropkick-in-the-mouth punk fantasy that Alan Moore calls “scary and energetic.”

Searching for clues about her best friend’s mysterious suicide, Danielle ventures to the squatter, utopian town of Freedom, Iowa, and witnesses a protector spirit — in the form of a blood-red, three-antlered deer — begin to turn on its summoners. She and her new friends have to act fast if they’re going to save the town — or get out alive.

Discover your inner child once again in this debut fantasy adventure for fans of Madeleine L’Engle, Diana Wynne Jones, and E. L. Konigsburg with Kari Maaren’s Weave a Circle Round.

When the unexpected moves in next door, anything can happen in Weave a Circle Round, Kari Maaren’s debut in this YA-friendly fantasy adventure.

Freddy doesn’t want people to think she’s weird. Her family makes that difficult, though: her deaf stepbrother Roland’s a major geek, and her genius little sister Mel’s training to be the next Sherlock Holmes. All Freddy wants is to survive high school.

Then two extremely odd neighbors move in next door.

Cuerva Lachance and Josiah definitely aren’t normal. Neither is their house, which defies the laws of physics. Neither is Freddy’s situation, when she suddenly finds herself stuck thousands of years in the past with her very, very weird neighbors. And that’s only the beginning.

“I adored this brilliant book from start to finish. It left me reeling with delight and I can’t wait for the rest of the world to get as lost in its pages as I was.” —Charles de Lint

“I’d have loved this book when I was twelve, and I love it now.” —Nebula, Hugo, and World Fantasy-Award winning author Jo Walton

Continuing the best-sage alternate universe series edited by George R.R. Martin, the sixth volume in the Wild Cards saga is set in Atlanta of 1988. Terror stalks the halls of the Omni convention center. For a fanatical religious leader has vowed to crush the rights of all Wild Cards, and a hidden Ace wields a terrifying power to determine the outcome of the convention. Against this backdrop of passion and intrigue, a handful of Aces and Jokers struggle for control of a nation.

Chrysalis, the glass-skinned queen of the Joker underworld, has been found brutally murdered in her popular restaurant, the Crystal Palace. Now two men are out to find her killer – Jay Ackroyd, the Ace private detective who discovered her ruined body, and the vigilante archer known as The Yeoman, who has been framed for the crime. Their quest leads them on a nightmare journey of madness, violence, passion and intrigue that will forever alter the fate of those who contracted the Wild Card virus. Collaboratively written by George R. R. Martin and John J. Miller, this is both a gripping mystery and a chilling story of suspense.

Now on its final voyage, the historical steamboat Natchez is known for her super-powered guest entertainers. But after the suspicious death of a crewmember, retired NY police detective Leo Storgman decides to make this incident his personal case. His findings only lead to a growing number of questions. Is there some truth behind the ghostly sightings of the steamboat’s first captain Wilbur Leathers? What secret does the current captain seem to be hiding? And could the Natchez be ferrying mysterious – and possibly dangerous – cargo onboard?

One act of terrorism changes the life of Michael “Drummer Boy” Vogali forever in Stephen Leigh’s “The Atonement Tango.” Now without his band, Joker Plague, Michael must figure out a way to re-build his life–and seek revenge.

Once an assassin and spy, superpowered ace Noel Matthews confronts unexpected enemies after discovering a dead body on the job.

]]>beyondvictorianaSteampunk Hands Around the World 2018 – Master Link Listhttps://beyondvictoriana.com/2018/02/05/steampunk-hands-around-the-world-2018-master-link-list/
https://beyondvictoriana.com/2018/02/05/steampunk-hands-around-the-world-2018-master-link-list/#respondTue, 06 Feb 2018 03:16:55 +0000http://beyondvictoriana.com/2018/02/05/steampunk-hands-around-the-world-2018-master-link-list/Airship Ambassador: ? Welcome to the fifth year of sharing the unity, camaraderie, and amazing creativity of our global steampunk community! This year, we’re taking to the roads and rails, the seas and the air as we…]]>

Boosting! For the fifth year, the Airship Ambassador is hosting Steampunk Hands Around the World.

Check out the link list & follow along on social media all month long!

This January, I have the pleasure of attending two conventions I’ve never been to before. The first is Arisia in Boston,, where I’ll be on the following panels:

Diversity: Still Knows What We Did Last Summer
Marina 2 – Sat 1:00 PM
Last summer, Fireside Fiction found that of 2039 short stories published in the US in 2015, 38 were written by black authors. As we talk about diversity in SFF, what happens when good intentions on the part of major outlets fail so spectacularly? How does a POC author get their stories to the audience? Have things improved? Our panelists will be looking at how to get stories by diverse and representational authors to market, and what still needs to be done to address this ongoing problem in SFF.

SFF Relationship Goals
Bulfinch – Sat 4:00 PM
SFF doesn’t always have the best reputation when it comes to depicting romantic relationships, but that doesn’t mean that respectful, loving partnerships are nowhere to be found. In this panel, we will explore the good ones, where to find them, and what commonalities they might share. What can authors do to feature good relationships in their stories?

Policing Diverse Creators
Marina 1 – Sun 1:00 PM
Lately there have been many instances of diverse creators, both writing #ownvoices and not, who are subject to more scrutiny in things such as reviews and commentary about their works than white, non-#ownvoices authors who write about the same. What can we do to mitigate this? And how do we criticize problematic aspects while remaining aware of the power differential?

Beyond Metaphor: Explicit Representation in SFF
Faneuil – Sun 8:30 PM
There are many SFF works that talk around an issue, rather than facing it head-on. What works are there that directly talk about race, sexuality, gender identity, disability; things that have been addressed in the past mostly as metaphor? Are there any ways we are moving away from only being able to imagine ourselves in our protagonists in vague and subtle hints? What still has to happen before explicit representation works properly for everyone?

Next I’ll be attending the Festival International de la Bande Dessinée in Angoulême, France. The Festival is the third largest comics convention in Europe, and I’m there most scouting for new talent to US audiences and seeing what comics looks like on an international level.

Speaking of an international scope, I am also honored to be selected as the Editor Reviewer for the Salam Award for Imaginative Fiction for 2018. The goals of this award is best explained on their website:

The Salam Award for Imaginative Fiction is a tribute to Dr Abdus Salam, and an effort to promote science fiction writing in Pakistan.

Since inception Pakistan, as a nation, has struggled with conformity as a result of mass repression and suppression. Entrepreneurship, art, literature and innovation have all suffered from provincialism and orthodoxy. Challenging the boundaries of traditional thinking and ideologies is, we believe, one of the core competencies of any progressive society. The Salam Award is a small effort by a few concerned individuals to change that and encourage our populace to be more imaginative.

Happy 2018! Kicking off the new year to put in a good word for Steampunk Universe, the follow-up to Steampunk World that contains multicultural, global stories featuring disabled characters. I’m happy to provide the introduction for his title alongside SFF writer & disability advocate Elsa Sjunneson-Henry. Check out below for more information, the tables of contents underneath the jump, and check out the link to grab your own copy.

SHAWN ALEXANDER ALLEN makes (often political) art in the way of games (both digital and non), photography, poetry, and dystopian fiction. A 9 year veteran of the gaming industry, he has worked at Rockstar Games, ESI Design and is currently at MLB.com in a producer role for Gaming & VR content. Shawn is also co-organizer of the Game Devs of Color Expo, the first game conference in Harlem at the Schomburg.

MICHAEL F. HASPIL is a fantasy, science fiction, and horror writer. TOR published his debut novel, Graveyard Shift. He is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force, worked for NASA, and has a M.S. in Space Studies from the University of North Dakota. He is a co-host on The Long War, the premiere podcast covering Games Workshop’s Warhammer 40,000 tabletop game. He has contributed strategy and advice columns to the Bell of Lost Souls and SpikeyBitz.com, the two most popular websites for tabletop wargames.

DR. TONY MEDINA is the author of six beloved books for young readers, as well as multiple volumes of poetry for adults. A Pushcart Prize-nominated poet and a professor of creative writing at Howard University, Dr. Medina is a two-time winner of the Paterson Prize for Books for Young People. His newest book, I Am Alfonso Jones, is the first YA graphic novel about the Black Lives Matter movement.

National bestselling and award-winning author CERECE RENNIE MURPHY is the author of six books. In 2016, Mrs. Murphy launched NARAZU.com, an online platform designed to help avid sci-fi fans find the BEST indie sci-fi and comic culture content on the planet. To date, NARAZU has built a community of over 20,000 sci-fi and comic enthusiasts.

ETHAN YOUNG is an Eisner and Harvey nominated comic book writer/artist based in Ithaca, NY, with roots in NYC. He started his career with the self-published autobio comic, Tails, which won the 2007 Independent Book Award for Best Graphic Novel. Ethan is best known for Nanjing: The Burning City from Dark Horse Books, which won the 2016 Reuben Award for Best Graphic Novel (along with Eisner and Harvey nominations). Other works include The Battles of Bridget Lee (a sci-fi allegory of Mulan) and contributing to the Eisner winning anthology, Comic Book Tattoo: Stories Inspired by Tori Amos. In addition to comic work, Ethan has also worked in animation as a storyboard artist for The Centsables on Fox Business Channel, and as a Character Designer for Major Lazer on FXX.

Women of Color Break Out the Books: Professionals in the Biz
October 07, 2017, 4:15 PM – 5:15 PM
1A05#WoCinPublishing

The face of publishing is changing, with professional women of color being more of a force than ever. But what is it really like working in publishing? A fresh take on becoming successful that’s more than leaning in, but also branching out. Featuring professionals from the industry’s top houses, including author K. Arsenault Rivera, senior book designer Regina Flath, video game editor Jes Negrón & senior marketing manager Ebony LaDelle.

MODERATOR: Science fiction & fantasy editor DIANA M. PHO (Tor Books) has curated and moderated the Geeks of Color panel at New York Comic Con for the last four years. Her NYCC panels have been featured on CBS’s Inside Edition, MSN.com, and Ebony Magazine. She has been interviewed about fandom for many media outlets, including BBC America, the Travel Channel, HGTV, and the Science Channel; the websites Airship Ambassador, Racialicious, and NerdCaliber. Authors she works with at Tor include George R. R. Martin, Robert Jordan, A.J. Hartley, and Lara Elena Donnelly.

K ARSENAULT RIVERA was born in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico. She moved to Brooklyn as a toddler and has been complaining about the heat ever since. She’s been writing as long as she can remember—from looseleaf fanfiction passed around her fifth grade class to fifty page character backstories. She writes her stories to combine her experiences as a queer woman of color with her passion for the high fantasy genre. All of her work features women loving women who take control of their own destinies. These days those stories have evolved into whole books. Her debut novel, THE TIGER’S DAUGHTER, will be released on October 3rd.

REGINA FLATH is the senior designer at Random House Children’s Books and the designer of several NYTBS books, including WHEN DIMPLE MET RISHI, SUICIDE NOTES FROM BEAUTIFUL GIRLS, and many others. Most recently she designed the backlist repackages and new front list covers for Tamora Pierce. She has been in publishing design since 2009. Regina is hapa (half Filipino, half American). When she’s not designing books, she can be found doing aerial arts, fiber arts. . . all the arts. She is a friend to imaginary creatures everywhere. Visit her online at reginaflath.com and most everywhere @reginaflath.

JES NEGRON has been working in media for over five years, first with books and most recently in video games. As a literary agent, she scoped out talent and managed her authors’ careers, working with projects ranging from kids’ picture books to adult epics. When she moved to video game publishing, she had the pleasure of working as an editor for the most popular PC game in the world, for which she was involved with regional publishing operations and content creation. Some of her projects over the years have included script writing, producing animations, and writing for a mobile application.

A huge proponent of diversity in media, Jes has pushed for more inclusive representation in both the books she looked to represent and the video game characters she had a hand in marketing. In the past, she’s volunteered with writing workshops to introduce local teens to the world of character design and she also runs CritsForGood, an inbox open to writers of color for free feedback on their queries.

EBONY LADELLE currently works as a Senior Marketing Manager at HarperCollins. Before HarperCollins, Ebony worked as a marketing manager at Simon & Schuster, where she had the pleasure to work with authors such as Shonda Rhimes, Mary Higgins Clark, and Jessica Knoll and also acquired her first book. MUSLIM GIRL by Amani Al-khatahtbeh published with rave reviews, including a New York Times Book Review. In her previous roles, Ebony has also worked on campaigns for Atul Gawande, Elizabeth Kolbert, and Andy Cohen. She holds a BA in Journalism from Howard University and received her MS in Publishing from Pace University in 2009. You can follow her on Twitter @coloringbooks.

LARA ELENA DONNELLY is the author of the critically-acclaimed gay glam spy thriller Amerlough from Tor Books. She is a graduate of the Clarion and Alpha workshops, and now acts as on-site staff and publicity coordinator for the latter. Her short stories and poetry have appeared in or are forthcoming from Strange Horizons, Mythic Delirium, Escape Pod, and Nightmare. While her physical form resides in Harlem, you can find her online atlaradonnelly.com or on various forms of social media as @larazontally.

SHOSHANA KESSOCK is a disabled veteran writer and creator in the gaming community, and a contributing writer to several websites including The Mary Sue, Tor.com, Geek Initiative, and Ology.com. Her professional gaming experiences include being a LARP designer for Phoenix Outlaw Productions, Organizer and Designer, for Battlestar Galactica: Tales of the Rising Star and Writer and Organizer, The Dresden Files LARP. She is also a new comic book creator working on a comic called Nowhere Girls, which is focused largely on having an intersectional cast of young women at the center of its adventures.

MARK OSHIRO is the Hugo-nominated writer of the online Mark Does Stuff universe, where he analyzes book and television series unspoiled, largely in the SF/F genres. He was the nonfiction editor of Queers Destroy Science Fiction! and the co-editor of Speculative Fiction 2015. His first novel, a YA sci-fi book set in a pre-dystopian world, is being edited, and his life goal is to pet every dog in the world.

KARUNA RIAZI is a twenty-something Muslim American blogger and YA author. She is the creator of the viral feminist hashtag #YesAllWomen, as well as #NotYourStockMuslim and #OwnYourOwn. Her writing has been featured on The Toast, Brown Girl Magazine and the forthcoming YA feminism anthology, “Here We Are: Feminism For the Real World” (Algonquin, 2017). Her debut novel The gauntlet, was published by Salaam Reads in March 2017.

TERENCE TAYLOR (terencetaylor.com) is an award-winning children’s television writer whose work has appeared on PBS, Nickelodeon, and Disney, among many others. Terence is also author of the first two books of his Vampire Testaments trilogy, Bite Marks (St. Martin’s Griffin, 2009), and Blood Pressure (St. Martin’s Griffin, 2010) and has returned to work on the conclusion of his trilogy, Past Life. Find Terence on Twitter @vamptestaments or walking his neighbor’s black Labrador mix along the banks of the Gowanus Canal and surrounding environs.

Last year, I had the pleasure of being interviewed by French-Canadian steampunk François Bonneau for an upcoming steampunk documentary directed by Annie Deniel, called Steampunk Connection. A quick summary of their project can be found on their page:

Daniel, François, Adam and Clara are active members of the unique steampunk community whose aesthetics are inspired by science-fiction and the Victorian era. Their eccentric – and upcycled – creations force us to think about our own living and consumer habits in this digital age.

Their encounters and their own artistic journey calls us to reflect on the impact technology has on our own lives. Beyond the cosplay aspect (which is the practise of dressing up as characters), these artists are keen DIYers who believe that knowledge is better shared. They also draw on the romantic values of a bygone era and make etiquette and decorum cool again.

Featuring this passionate community is an original way to talk about human needs in the digital era.This film is for everyone as the themes it explores are universal.

Annie dropped a note requesting steampunks to submit footage and pictures that they can feature as part of the documentary’s promotions:

“‘Hey steampunks!

For a wonderful international documentary about the community steampunk, we are looking for images of incredible steampunk machines with their inventor.

We are looking more specific places (ex: cafe place) vehicles or practical inventions than costumes or accessories excepted if it reflects the cultural aspect.

The footage can be filmed with a simple iPhone and send by we transfer (https://wetransfer.com) at this address : steampunkconnection@gmail.com. It’s free.

It’s an opportunity to show your work and of course your name will be credited! If you need more information, you can join us at the same e-mail address.

We are here to answer at your questions with pleasure!”

Hope folks will be able to help & boost this wonderful little film about the community.

For International Women’s Day, I’m pleased to publish the following anthology of short fiction on Tor.com. Below is my introduction, and hope you all enjoy the read today!

She was warned. She was given an explanation. Nevertheless, she persisted.

Three short lines, fired over social media in response to questions of why Senator Elizabeth Warren was silenced on the floor of the United States Senate on February 7th, 2017, for daring to read aloud the words of Coretta Scott King. As this message was transmitted across the globe, it has become a galvanizing cry for people of all genders in recognition of the struggles that women have faced throughout history. To me, it is also serves as a reminder of the cyberpunk nature of our everyday lives, as technology can weave our hearts and minds in unity toward a greater cause.

And, as many have pointed out, these three lines read as if they are the opening passage to an epic and ageless tale.

March 8th is International Women’s Day, which the United Nations describes as “when women are recognized for their achievements without regard to divisions, whether national, ethnic, linguistic, cultural, economic or political.” More than celebratory, International Women’s Day is aspirational, striving toward a more gender-inclusive world. Speculative fiction has had an impact in fostering this egalitarian dream through creative expression and critique. After all, science fiction in particular was born with Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, written in the “Year without a Summer” while tumultuous storms raged over Lake Geneva. This dream was the utopia penned by Muslim feminist Rokeya Sakhawat Hussain in her 1905 story “Sultana’s Dream”, and the same year Charlotte Perkins Gilman published Herland in Forerunnermagazine. In the decades since, women have provided some of the most crucial and insightful voices in our community.

International Women’s Day is also inspirational. In collaboration with colleagues Patrick Nielsen Hayden, Lee Harris, Liz Gorinsky, Marco Palmieri, and Miriam Weinberg, we have assembled this flash fiction collection featuring several of the best writers in SF/F today. Together these authors share unique visions of women inventing, playing, loving, surviving, and – of course – dreaming of themselves beyond their circumstances.

For the last week of our Steampunk Hands Around the World book giveaway series, let me introduce you to Robyn Bennis’s The Guns Above, a high-flying adventure full of wit, bravado, fancy clothes, and big explosions. A brief description:

They say it’s not the fall that kills you.

For Josette Dupre, the Corps’ first female airship captain, it might just be a bullet in the back.

On top of patrolling the front lines, she must also contend with a crew who doubts her expertise, a new airship that is an untested deathtrap, and the foppish aristocrat Lord Bernat, a gambler and shameless flirt with the military know-how of a thimble. He’s also been assigned to her ship to catalog her every moment of weakness and indecision.

When the enemy makes an unprecedented move that could turn the tide of the war, can Josette deal with Bernat, rally her crew, and survive long enough to prove herself?

“Steampunky navy-in-the-air military tale full of sass and terrific characters. Great storytelling. Loved it.” —Patricia Briggs

Click after the jump for details on how to enter! Thanks for allowing along, everyone, and hope you enjoy the rest of Steampunk Hands this month.

EDIT: Congrats to Connor Drexler as our winner!

How to enter:
1) Readers comment below with your favorite piece of steampunk-related technology (can be a historical exmple, modern science & tech, or something from one’s imagination!). Readers can only submit one entry per household. US and International entries are welcome.
2) Enter between February 19th, 2017, through February 24th, 2017, at midnight EST (GMT -5:00).
3) Winners will be chosen via their comment number using Random.org. Winners will be contacted via email and must reply within 24 hours with their mailing address to claim their prize. Otherwise a new winner will be selected.